Overview
Southwestern Asia seems to be rye’s place of origin although the area is not known precisely. In the first millennium, rye was transferred to northern Europe where it spread to the rest of Europe. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans brought rye to North and South America with them. From Europe, it continued to spread to Russia and Siberia. Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Australia and South Africa first produced rye in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. While rye production is spread throughout the world, the largest producing areas are Germany, Poland, western Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. January 2006 . . . Rye
Link checked January 2008.